Corinth Temple of Apollo
Location
About
Ancient Corinth was one of the wealthiest and most important cities of ancient Greece, situated at the narrow isthmus connecting mainland Greece to the Peloponnese. Seven columns of the archaic Temple of Apollo (approximately 550 BCE) — among the oldest surviving Doric columns in Greece — still stand above the extensive Roman city ruins. The Apostle Paul spent 18 months here around 50-52 CE and wrote the Letters to the Corinthians.
Significance
Corinth holds significance across Greek mythology (Jason, Medea, Sisyphus, Bellerophon), Greek history (control of the Diolkos trans-isthmus portage), and early Christianity (Paul's foundational Corinthian community). Paul's two letters to the Corinthians deal with the challenges of a multicultural urban congregation in a notoriously cosmopolitan and morally complex city. The Bema (judgment seat) on the agora where Paul stood before Gallio (Acts 18:12-17) has been identified.
History & Historical Arc
Corinth was inhabited from the Neolithic period and became one of Greece's richest trading cities by 700 BCE. Sisyphus a…
Archaeological Notes
The Bema (rostrum) in the Roman agora where Paul stood before the proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:12-17) was excavated and ide…
Key Features & Structures
- 7 columns of Temple of Apollo (c.550 BCE)
- Roman Agora with Bema (Paul's judgment seat)
Visitor Information
Open daily. 80 km from Athens. Acrocorinth (the hilltop fortress) is a separate site worth visiting.
Related Figures
In the Bible
Source References
- Acts 18:1-18
- 1 Corinthians 1:1-2
- Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.1-5